Good afternoon. Not since Lleyton Hewitt was chopped down by the huge-serving Ivo Karlovic in 2003 has the Wimbledon champion been knocked out in the first round. That's not too much of a surprise considering that between 2003 and 2007, Roger Federer made life very easy indeed for whoever was in the business of engraving the trophy, while Rafael Nadal isn't exactly in the habit of embarrassing himself in the first round of grand slams – indeed only injury prevented him from defending his title here in 2009. But this is new territory for Novak Djokovic, the man who ensured Nadal is yet to retain his SW19 title by beating the Spaniard in four sets in last year's final. After years of flitting around Federer and Nadal, that was the afternoon that Djokovic truly arrived as one of the greats. While beating Andy Murray in the Australian Open final last year was impressive enough, dominating and downing Nadal on Centre Court was a whole different ball game.

Since then there have been two more triumphs in the majors, both against Nadal in the US and Australian Opens, before the Mallorcan got a spot of revenge on his beloved clay in the French Open final earlier this month. Even so, on grass Djokovic is the man to beat and everything points to another final against Nadal next Sunday (well, assuming the weather holds). To that end, Nadal will be hoping for a favour from a fellow countryman this afternoon, although the chances are slim. The man hoping to Karlovic Djokovic this afternoon is a former world No1 whose days of dominance are firmly consigned to the past now. Juan Carlos Ferrero's best result at Wimbledon is quarter-finals in 2007 and 2009 and it would be a shock of the seismic variety if he manages to beat Djokovic here. Or even if he takes a set off him. We're not giving him much of a prayer here, that's what we're saying. What we're saying is that Hewitt can rest easy, his record is safe.

Ferrero is known for his speedy style, and will need to buzz about the court if he is to take on Djokovic. The longer the rallies go on the more likely Djokovic is to take control, so the target for Ferrero, according to the IBM SlamTracker, will be to win more than 52% of rallies with two or fewer shots. Good luck with that against such a relentless grinder. He'll also need to win more than 70% of first points on serve.

Play begins at: 1pm BST.

Do you give Ferrero any chance? I put this question to my fellow game-by-gamer Katy Murrells just now and she screwed up her face, presumably not because she had to engage in conversation with me, and then said "Well it might take Djokovic a little while, he hasn't had a warm-up." And we saw how not having a warm-up affected Wayne Rooney.

The sun is out on Centre Court and soon the players will be too. What a glorious British summer this is.

Here they come. Djokovic has a big grin spread across his face and, ever the showman, he gives the crowd a wave. Behind him, Ferrero looks a little sheepish. He'll be well aware he's only the sideshow for most on Centre Court today. It's going to take something special to seal the limelight this afternoon.

The toss. Djokovic wins and elects to serve first. The umpire ran through the rules and then asked both players if they had any questions. Yes, what is the deal with caramelized onions? Only masochists eat them.

Tok! Tok! Tokity tok! The players are knocking up. They should introduce this in all sports, footballers on opposing teams obliged to warm up with each before matches.

First set: Djokovic* 1-0 Ferrero (*denotes server). A ripple of applause greets both players as they make their way on to the court. Having won the toss, Djokovic begins his defence of his Wimbleon title by serving first. If there were any nerves on his part, they're not in evidence here. Strong serving and firm, clean groundstrokes ensure he holds to love with the minimum amount of fuss, Ferrero barely given a sniff.

First set: Djokovic 1-1 Ferrero* (*denotes server). At 0-15 down, Ferrero crucially wins his first point of the match, charging to the net to flick a forehand deep into the left-hand corner, Djokovic sent skittering off the other way. Djokovic then arrows a backhand long and nets a forehand to hand Ferrero the game. A tight start, this one.

First set: Djokovic* 1-2 Ferrero (*denotes server). A collector's item at 30-0, as Djokovic somehow slams an overhead into the net with the court wide open. Blame the sun. That damn British sun. Clouds please! He then wonks a backhand wide to make it 30-all. A momentary blip? Well, not on this evidence, Djokovic's game disintegrating. Ferrero only blocks a serve back into the service box and astonishingly Djokovic thumps a forehand miles past the baseline to hand the Spaniard a break point. He saves it, but then double-faults. What's going on here? Another break point. Ferrero nets. And then another; positive play from Djokovic saves it, but it's not long before Ferrero has a fourth and this time there's no reprieve. The Spaniard gets on the front foot, dominates the rally and then picks Djokovic off with a careful forehand into the left corner. That's a lovely shot. What a start. Djokovic is Hewitting it!

First set: Djokovic 2-2 Ferrero* (*denotes server). Djokovic, you won't need reminding, is a master at getting himself out of a sticky situation though. It was absolutely vital that Ferrero consolidated the break of serve, but Djokovic isn't the world No1 for nothing. At 15-30, he opens up the court and whizzes a brilliant forehand winner down the line to earn himself two break points. He only needs the one, as a fierce return is too much for Ferrero to handle, his sharp forehand drifting wide. And there goes the advantage. It didn't last long. You suspected it might not.

First set: Djokovic* 3-2 Ferrero (*denotes server). No idea what happened in this game, though I assumed tennis happened, because my connection went.

First set: Djokovic 3-3 Ferrero* (*denotes server). After the early breaks, two holds of serve in a row, Ferrero sealing this game by drawing Djokovic forward and then flicking a fine backhand pass beyond him. Djokovic is going to have to work for this.

First set: Djokovic* 4-3 Ferrero (*denotes server). Nothing to see here. Though I do notice that Djokovic has a blue strap on his elbow, presumably to aid his muscles. Gigi Buffon had these strapped to his ears last night as well. What a world we live in. "The first week at Wimbledon offers interesting choices - do you go for the potential five set thriller on Court 14 between Carlos Hitaball and Stefan Futfolt or queue for late availabilty at Centre or Court 1 to see a star flatten an also ran?" says Gary Naylor. "I've been to each of the last two opening days and I prefer the outside courts - unless it rains." Court One could be the place to be though. Pantomime villain David Nalbandian is there now.

First set: Djokovic 5-3 Ferrero* (*denotes server). And just like that, Djokovic takes a stranglehold on the first set. At 15-30, he starts to get into his groove and after a back-and-forth rally, he absolutely pummels a cross-court forehand deep into the right-hand corner to earn himself two break points. A Ferrero miss and there's the game. Djokovic will now serve for the first set. That early break of serve was never likely to be fatal, was it.

Djokovic wins the first set 6-3: At the start of the match, Djokovic, perhaps a little rusty, missed two gimmes at the net and dropped serve. He's stamped those errors out now and puts a forehand away at the net to take a 30-0 lead. A backhand winner brings up three set points and he comes up with an ace with a second serve. As you do. It's an uphill battle for Ferrero now.

Second set: Djokovic* 6-3, 1-1 Ferrero (* denotes server). An easy enough hold for Djokovic at the start of the second set and the sign of his dominance is a second ace on a second serve. Watch and learn, Tim.

Second set: Djokovic 6-3, 2-1 Ferrero* (* denotes server). Djokovic wasn't moving smoothly at the start of the match and that allowed Ferrero to gain a foothold. But he's in the mood now and at 15-all another storming cross-court forehand flies past Ferrero, who follows that up with a tame backhand beyond the line, betraying his increasing frustration. Two break points and an opportunity for Djokovic to take what would surely be an unassailable lead. Ferrero saves the first with a peach of a forehand. Anything he can do, Djokovic can do better though, and another piercing forehand is enough to wrap up the game, Ferrero's desperate block dropping long.

Second set: Djokovic* 6-3, 3-1 Ferrero (* denotes server). The life has completely fizzled out of this match. It's not a contest now and the question is merely how long this will take for Djokovic. He'll be pleased with a fourth ace of the match though.

Second set: Djokovic 6-3, 3-2 Ferrero* (* denotes server). They call Ferrero 'The Mosquito'. I'm assured it's because he's short - apparently 6ft is short in tennis terms - and quick, not because he sucks the blood of his opponents. Saying that, nowhere in the rulebook does it say you can't do that. Something to think about while you have your lunch.

Second set: Djokovic* 6-3, 4-2 Ferrero (* denotes server). The Centre Court crowd wakes up! A magnificent rally is won by Ferrero, who had done so well to bat back everything Djokovic had thrown at him, before whipping a sumptuous forehand past the Serbian. Oh I say, as they say. A weak backhand volley into the net from Djokovic makes it 30-all. So he comes up with an 126mph serve to make it 40-30, before Ferrero wildly blazes off-target after one of the longest rallies of the match.

Second set: Djokovic 6-3, 4-3 Ferrero* (* denotes server). A sign of how well Djokovic is returning is that <a href="">Ferrero has only won 59% of his first serves. A stabbed backhand winner off the Ferrero serve from Djokovic underlines that point in some style. Ferrero hangs in there though, the game taken to deuce, and holds when Djokovic's attempted backhand pass down the line goes wide.

Second set: Djokovic* 6-3, 5-3 Ferrero (* denotes server). If Ferrero is to cause the ultimate shock in this match, he almost certainly needs a break here - a helping hand along the way from Djokovic wouldn't hurt either, and he obliges with a double-fault, his second of the match, to make it 15-30. Ferrero smells blood and produces a sublime forehand return to earn two break points. The Spaniard goes for the jugular and has Djokovic on the ropes with a couple of stunning forehands, but he can't quite find the killer shot and eventually whacks a backhand long. That was his chance. An ace from Djokovic sees the door firmly shut in Ferrero's face, no sooner had it been ever-so-slightly pushed ajar. The mark of a champion and Djokovic survives a third break point - and a challenge from Ferrero - before holding on.

Djokovic wins the second set 6-3 to lead 2-0: Ferrero has been visibly crushed by not taking one of the three breaks in the previous game and it doesn't take long for Djokovic to earn two set points on the Spaniard's serve. He can't take either though, two forehands landing long, and then then goofs on two backhands. He's rubbish, this guy. No, perhaps he's just having trouble maintaining his focus so often a feature of the early rounds, almost as if he's keeping himself amused. Sure enough, Ferrero keeps on offering him chances and Djokovic isn't about to throw away a fifth set point. This one is over.

Third set: Djokovic* 6-3, 6-3, 1-0 Ferrero (* denotes server). Whereas Djokovic is utterly dominant on his first serve, winning a whopping 86% of points on his first serve, <a href="">the IBM slamtracker indicates that Ferrero is only winning 58% of him. Not hard to see where the difference lies. Djokovic seals the first game of the third set with his seventh ace of the match.

Third set: Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 2-0 Ferrero* (* denotes server). The chances of Ferrero winning here are, I would suggest, slimmer than Ashley Young's were of scoring that penalty last night. A double-fault hands Djokovic a break point and a long backhand seals the game. The jig is up. Although it was never really down.

Third set: Djokovic* 6-3, 6-3, 3-0 Ferrero (* denotes server). A brief moment of worry for Djokovic as he falls 0-30 down, but adversity only seems to bring the best out of him. It's quite remarkable, although maybe not so remarkable against an unseeded 32-year-old. This game has a bit of everything from Djokovic: more aces, more double-faults, winners and unforced errors - and he closes it out with an ace after being taken to deuce.

Third set: Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 4-0 Ferrero* (* denotes server). Something for Ferrero to savour at the start of this game: his first ace. That alone won't be enough to salvage this match though. From there, his game goes to pieces and Djokovic breaks as Ferrero slashes a forehand so far wide it nearly landed on one of the outside courts. He's not putting up much of a fight here, truth be told.

Third set: Djokovic* 6-3, 6-3, 5-0 Ferrero (* denotes server). Perhaps the strongest area of Djokovic's game this aternoon has been his serving; he's really racking up the aces. It's made such a difference and he seals the game with his 12th of the match. Ferrero will have to win the next game to avoid a total embarrassment, which nobody wants to see.

Third set: Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 5-1 Ferrero* (* denotes server). And avoid total embarrassment he does, an ace from Ferrero delaying the inevitable. Well, you can't put a price on dignity.

Djokovic wins 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. Well, well. Buoyed by that ace, Ferrero races into a 0-30 lead as Djokovic serves for the match. He couldn't, could he? No, this is Djokovic we're talking about, and he even throws in a break point, just to make it interesting. He wasn't actually going to let Ferrero win it though and although he wastes one match point, fittingly he produces an ace down the middle to seal the match.

It's going to take something special to knock Novak Djokovic off course. He was even able to withstand a dreadful start, lose his serve and still breeze through to the second round against the former world No1, Juan Carlos Ferrero. In truth, the shock was never really on and Ferrero didn't have the tools to truly trouble Djokovic. This wasn't the perfect performance and it was littered with too many unforced errors, but it's better he gets those out of his system now. Thanks for reading. Bye.